Stay With Me
by Hadassa J
Summary: The Legionnaires embark on a special mission through time to stop Joker's plot in the episode 'Wild Cards'. Timber Wolf forms a bond with Ace of Clubs, understanding the pain and betrayal of a childhood robbed and replaced by experimentation. Hurt/Comfort, Romance, and a touch of Humor.
1. Chapter 1

Author's Note: I recently came across a picture of Ace of the Royal Flush Gang and wanted to learn more about her. After watching the Justice League episode _Wild Cards_ and the epilogue of Justice League Unlimited, I was intrigued by her story and thought it would be interesting to play around with an idea that popped into my head. I never got into the Justice League series, and that is unfortunate because Joker was brilliantly hilarious in that episode. In this fic, Timber Wolf replaces the role of Batman to prevent Joker's historic devastation and provide some comfort to the young, misunderstood telepath.

…..

It was a bright Sunday morning in New Metropolis, and things were relatively peaceful throughout the 31st-century city. With the Fatal Five locked away in Takron-Galtos, the Legion of Superheroes experienced a surprisingly quiet weekend at Star Pavilion. That is, until Brainiac-5 notified them all via intercom to attend an important meeting that morning in the conference room. The Legionnaires were to learn that their mission today wasn't against an enemy of the present, but a villain from the past.

The team gathered from every corner of Star Pavilion and filed in to the conference room. Timber Wolf sat in his usual spot: second row, fourth from the right. The feral teen thought it was funny how as primary school kids they complained of assigned seating arrangements, and yet as near adults with the privilege to sit wherever they wanted, they seemed to gravitate toward the same spot every day. Maybe people naturally chose to sit in the same general area, and what they had actually wanted as children was the _freedom_ to decide where they wanted that "spot" to be. Timber Wolf for instance preferred this seat because it gave him the best overall view of the presentation, and wasn't too close to the speaker but not too far away for him to be tempted to zone out (although he still did on occasion, playing little paper games with Star Boy or whoever was sitting by him). Superman usually sat at the far end by the window to gaze out at this fantastic, futuristic world he was still getting used to. Chameleon Boy liked to sit up near the back corner because it was closest to the exit. Today, however, a certain black-haired girl ventured from her usual spot.

"Hey," Phantom Girl said, smiling at Timber Wolf as she sat down next to him.

"Hey," Timber Wolf said, returning her greeting with a single nod. They awkwardly looked toward the front of the room. As more people filed in, Timber Wolf took a chance and side-glanced at Phantom Girl. He saw that she was also trying to discreetly look at him. He rolled his eyes and grinned, and Phantom Girl covered her blush and giggled, both caught in the act.

"Ehem, let's get started shall we?" Brainiac-5 said, glaring at Phantom Girl, who promptly quieted down but still smiled as if holding back laughter. Timber Wolf smirked and looked forward as Brainy began the briefing.

It was not beyond Timber Wolf's attention that he and Phantom Girl had been growing closer over the past few weeks – casually sitting together during mealtimes, or flying next to each other on their way to missions. Acquaintanceship turned into friendship, and then slowly transformed into something more, as shoulder pats became hugs and cursory greetings became lengthy, heartfelt conversations.

But it was too soon for Timber Wolf to make anything of it yet. Phantom Girl was the daughter of the President and he… well, he was born on a mining planet and was turned into a human-canine hybrid of some sort by the freakish experiments of his own father. Not only was Timber Wolf not ready to open up to someone, but he also didn't want to possibly mistake Phantom Girl's amity for attraction. That could lead to a very awkward scenario. Besides, he enjoyed her company and didn't want to sabotage their friendship, even though at times she had the tendency to act like a princess. He used to consider that annoying, but by now he found that endearing.

Timber Wolf forced himself to focus on the presentation before his thoughts could run on and on like a sentence that has never seen a comma. Brainiac-5 activated the large cybernetic screen, and they all watched as the video displayed the monumental and historic tragedy orchestrated by one of the deadliest supervillains of all time: The Joker.

The sinister clown had planted bombs throughout what was once known as The Las Vegas Strip. Although the Justice League had defused most of the explosives, the Green Lantern and the Flash lost their lives in the process, according to history. Then Joker had driven millions of people insane using the hypnotic mind powers of a strange girl named Ace of Clubs, whose facial expression was locked in wide-eyed anger, her black lips pressed in a stern, flat line, her body as lifeless as the doll she tightly clutched in her arms.

Timber Wolf raised an eyebrow at the odd-looking girl onscreen with her unsettling, unwavering gaze. Joker explained his evil plan as he casually moved Ace about in her chair. The girl listlessly swayed with the motions as if she were a zombie. Lightning Lad, who was sitting to Timber Wolf's right, snickered and snorted at the girl's unusual behavior.

The Joker described Ace's tragic backstory and perception-bending powers to the audience of the time.

"And the best part?!" Joker's chilling voice exclaimed in the ancient recording. "I'm immune to all this because _I'm already crazy_."

Lightning Lad whistled, acknowledging the threat that had been the Joker. "As terrible as our villains are today, I am so glad I wasn't around when _this_ guy was alive." Lightning Lad leaned back and called over to Superman, "Sorry Supes, that'll be your mess to deal with in a few decades from your perspective."

"Thanks for the heads up," Clark grumbled from across the room, where Dream Girl, Bouncing Boy, and the newly reunited Triplicate Girl sat.

"Actually, that's precisely why I called you all here this morning," Brainy announced. "I propose a way that we can all help the situation _right now_, by going back in time and stopping this from ever happening."

As Brainiac-5 said this, Ace's large eyes began glowing yellow. Lightning Lad cringed.

"Aww man, I wonder if she can hypnotize people through time as well. I'm getting a headache just from looking at those weird, swirly eyes."

"Enough Lightning Lad," Phantom Girl admonished, leaning forward in her chair to look at him past Timber Wolf. "You're just trying to get attention. You can't stand a moment when the spotlight isn't on you."

"Quiet you two," Brainy scolded.

Lightning Lad just chuckled and gestured over to Phantom Girl. "No no, the creepy girl's descendant is right. I just _love_ being the talk of the town."

"…What did you call me?" Phantom Girl crossed her arms and looked at Lightning Lad. Timber Wolf was starting to feel uncomfortable as invisible lightning bolts sparked between the two Legionnaires sitting on either side of him.

"Ah come aaaahhn," Lightning Lad jeered. "Even you gotta admit you look like that psycho."

"Excuse me?" Phantom Girl gripped the edge of the table. "I look nothing like her."

Lightning Lad shrugged. "You know, the whole black and white get-up, the scary-lookin' gothic makeup, especially back in our early days when you used to wear those goofy pigtails."

Some Legionnaires in the back started snickering.

Phantom Girl stood up, her cheeks reddening. "Take that back, Garth!"

"Pfft, you know, the angrier you get the more you look like her–"

Phantom Girl moved like she was about to hit Garth, and that's when Timber Wolf came in.

"Woah, everyone cool it, alright?" Timber Wolf said to both of his teammates, but mostly looked at Lightning Lad. He, too, saw that there was a bit of a resemblance, but if Phantom Girl was uncomfortable with that then he would defend her.

"Leave her alone, Lightning Lad," Timber Wolf said. "There's nothing 'scary' about Phantom Girl, she looks beautifu–"

A screaming silence fell upon the entire conference room, and a wave of shocking embarrassment swept through Timber Wolf. Did he really just admit to the entire Legion what he thought about Phantom Girl? Timber Wolf shut his eyes and put a hand on his forehead, wishing the ground would just swallow him.

Saturn Girl, who was sitting in the front row with Cosmic Boy and Shrinking Violet, stood up after a moment. "Lightning Lad, _focus_! What Brainy's saying is really important!"

All eyes shifted away from Timber Wolf and looked at Saturn Girl, whom Timber Wolf mentally thanked for getting attention off him. Saturn Girl gave him a quick and unnoticeable sympathetic smile before continuing.

"I know what kind of technique Ace is using. It's actually very elementary to us 31st century telepaths. I'd be able to shield our minds from getting hypnotized if we choose to go on this mission."

Cosmic Boy was highly skeptical and pointed at Brainiac-5. "Should we really be changing the past like that? Have you predicted the ramifications of saving those people and altering the course of history?"

"I think that we should extend the Legion jurisdiction to include not only the whole galaxy, but the whole of time," Brainiac-5 declared, earning mixed expressions from his teammates.

"Look, Joker wasn't really immune to Ace's mind control, as he claimed in the broadcast," Brainy continued. "He used a halo headband device hidden in his jacket as a safeguard if Ace ever went rogue. If we show Ace that the Joker couldn't be trusted, we could rewrite history and prevent that tragedy from ever happening."

Brainy paused and looked at Superman. "The Joker will be one of your greatest archenemies. We can save the Justice League and prevent Joker from hypnotizing people."

Brainy then addressed the entire conference. "Ace mysteriously disappeared for weeks after the event. She built her own Royal Flush Gang and caused disorder throughout the city. This nightmare didn't end until she died from a ruptured aneurysm a few days later, but her mind blast killed everyone within a 4-mile radius."

Cosmic Boy shook his head. "This is a bad idea–"

"I'm in," Superman interrupted, standing up. All eyes were now on the Kryptonian.

"This may be the distant past for you guys, but this is my future and that was my country. If I have a chance to prevent that from happening, it would be an injustice not to try. I mean, that's the whole reason why Kell-El joined us, right?" Clark gestured over to Superman X, who was sitting next to Star Boy and Colossal Boy.

"What about Ace? How do you plan to stop her from sending out that deadly mind wave when she dies?" asked Triplicate Girl.

"The 21st century lacked the technology needed to contain her mind blast, but chambers are available today that can safely enclose her powers. We can bring her to our time to die safely and then return her body back to her own time," Brainy explained.

After working out the details, the majority decided to proceed with the mission. Cosmic Boy agreed only conditionally, ordering the team not to change or reveal certain things. Brainy selected Superman, Superman X, Triplicate Girl, Saturn Girl, and Timber Wolf, to accompany him on the mission. The conference dismissed and the mission team went to the room with the time warp machine. Before Timber Wolf walked through the time gates, he felt a tug on his wrist and saw Phantom Girl behind him. She must have followed invisibly.

"You really think I'm beautiful?" she asked, her large grey eyes looking up at him.

Timber Wolf stared at her small white-gloved hands wrapped around his wrist. A blush would have been visible on his cheeks if not concealed by fur.

He yanked his arm away and fumbled with his words. "Tch, what of it? It was a slip of the tongue, alright? I –"

The feral teen was left stunned when Phantom Girl planted a kiss on his cheek. He didn't have time to think or react before Phantom Girl turned him around and pushed him through the time gates.

"Go kick some Joker butt!" he heard her say, before he traveled over a thousand years into the past.


	2. Chapter 2

Even the air smelled different in the past. It was warm, and wet, like it had rained earlier, and Timber Wolf's nostrils picked up the scent of fall leaves mixed with car emissions.

"Woooow," Clark drew out an astonished gasp at his surroundings. "Things changed a bit during my time as well… and what's an iPhone?" he pointed at a billboard advertising the Apple product. His teammates shrugged, as that form of telecommunication has long been outdated.

Suddenly, five police cars sped past them, heading toward a casino.

"We have no time to waste," Brainy ordered. "I downloaded a map of where the bombs are located into your flight rings."

Timber Wolf pressed his Legion ring and a small virtual screen displayed the locations in red blinking dots.

"Triplicate Girl, you help the Green Lantern and Hawkgirl defuse their bomb," Brainy instructed. "Clark and Kell will help the Superman of this time defeat members of the Royal Flush Gang and save the Flash. Timber Wolf and Saturn Girl, you're coming with me to stop Joker and Ace."

They all flew off in different directions.

…..

The Green Lantern and Hawkgirl were bickering as usual as they worked out how to deactivate Joker's bomb.

"Hmm, I'd say there's something going on between these two," the Joker sneered on a television screen from above. But this time, before he programmed the bomb to speed up the detonation time, Triplicate Girl appeared and stuck a device from the future onto the side of the bomb which instantly powered it off.

"Hey! Who is that?" Joker screamed into the television screen, but Triplicate Girl found a remote and turned him off.

Green Lantern and Hawkgirl looked at Triplicate Girl.

"Sorry to repeat Joker's question but, who are you?" asked Hawkgirl.

Triplicate smiled and shrugged, not wanting to give too much away. "Oh I'm just a friendly engineer who got tired of hearing the clown laughing at his own jokes."

"How can we thank you?" Green Lantern asked.

Triplicate Girl regarded them for a moment, remembering how tragic their story could have been; a love fully realized, yet never acted upon until it was too late. She recalled her own scare with the loss of White, and how all she could think about for days on end was how they quarreled a bit before that mission.

"You can thank me by promising to not take the people who care about you for granted," Luornu finally said.

The two Justice League members gave her a quizzical look, but then looked at each other as realization started to dawn on them.

They both knew they were hiding feelings from each other.

"Plan for the future, but live for now. Don't assume that the people you love will wait around forever for you to tell them how you feel," Triplicate Girl smiled before leaving the building, and hoped that the two would work out their feelings…

Meanwhile, at the casino, King and Ten of the Royal Flush Gang were giving Flash and Superman a hard time. They just took out the Queen when the two male wild cards surrounded Superman.

"You can't defeat both of us," Ten taunted, cracking his huge knuckles.

"So why don't we even the playing field?" a young voice said behind them. They all turned to see the Legionnaire Superman.

The Justice League Superman was actually not surprised to see his younger, almost scrawny-looking self. He simply put his hands on his hips and said confidently, "About time you arrived."

"Wait, what? You _knew_ I was coming?" Clark said, looking confused. He thought he'd have to explain himself to his future version.

However, the older Superman just laughed and put a hand on his shoulder. "You'll learn more about the time-space continuum in due time."

"Wha… no way man I'm outa here!" said King. He tried to flee, but ran into yet another Superman, this one having a slightly larger build than the one before, and had emerald green eyes against a black sclera and an overall much meaner look.

"How many of you _are_ there?!" King shouted. Superman X punched him in the face, knocking the coward out.

As the Supermen battled and overpowered Ten, the Flash was busy trying to defuse the last bomb. Joker appeared on the bomb's screen and started planting insecurities in Flash's mind as the time was running out.

"Shut up!" Flash yelled at the clown.

"What kind of comeback is that?" asked a voice behind him. Flash turned and saw Superman X leaning casually on the wall next to him.

"Haha! You took the words right out of my mouth, young man!" Joker said to Kell-El. "Wait a minute, is that Sup–?"

Kell turned off Joker's screen and stuck the same futuristic device Triplicate Girl had onto the bomb, immediately rendering it a dud just as the seconds were about to run out.

"He was just distracting you," Superman X informed the Flash.

"Wow, thanks," Flash offered his hand. "I was running out of options… I was just about to pick up the bomb and try to run it out of the city."

Kell shook the hand Flash offered him. "Yeah, that… may not have ended well."

The Flash was a risk-taker, and would have valiantly given his life without even a moment's hesitation. Kell-El knew the Flash and the rest of the Justice League were needed in this time, so he couldn't let that happen. Clark's words from the meeting echoed in his mind. It was true; Kell-El stayed in the 31st century and became a Legionnaire to protect his teammates from the terrible future he saw for them.

And most importantly, he was able to save his parents from being murdered in the 41st century by Imperiex.

…..

At the newscast studio, Joker growled angrily and clenched his fists at his sides.

"I have no idea who these strange newcomers are, but it matters not. I still have my trump card." He grinned wickedly at Ace, whose eyes began to glow like two balls of sun.

"We infiltrate on my call," Brainy whispered to his teammates in their hiding place above. "Saturn Girl, stay up here and keep Ace from hypnotizing Timber Wolf. As a Coluan, I'm protected from telepathic mind control. We can't be hypnotized, only digitally corrupted."

"Shouldn't I use my mental shield to protect Batman as well?" asked Imra.

"The Batman needs to go through this psychological stressor. I've projected that this trial will make him stronger and prepare him for future challenges," the android explained.

Suddenly, a hysterical Harley Quinn barged into the studio. The three time travelers watched the scene unfold from their hiding spot above, only their eyes glowing in the darkness: a pair of feral, golden yellow orbs, round, bright pink ones, and square-shaped eyes of metallic magenta.

Harley Quinn was angry at Joker for spending time with Ace when she was working hard out on the field, just barely surviving a helicopter crash. The Joker yelled at her for irresponsibly leading the Batman right to him, and smacked her hard across the face. Harley stumbled back, crashed through a board, and fell unconscious.

Timber Wolf silently growled. He never understood the psychology of women in abusive relationships. Even after this, Harley will run right back to Joker, as history told that she will be his side-kick for many more years to come.

The Ace of Clubs didn't even flinch from all the commotion. She just sat in her chair with her yellow, swirly eyes glued to the camera, hypnotizing the helpless 21st century viewers.

Just then, the legendary Black Knight swooped in and kicked Joker in the jaw. But Joker was prepared, and after a quick wrestle, Batman was under the mind torture of Ace. Joker mocked the Batman and was ready to finish him off.

"Now!" Brainiac-5 gave the order and Timber Wolf sprang into action.

"It's over Batsy," Joker loomed over Batman. "You didn't stand a chance against my trump card. This time, _I _have the winning hand!"

"The only thing getting trumped is your plan, clown," Timber Wolf growled, and kicked Joker, sending him careening backwards. Meanwhile, Brainiac-5 took out the cameramen and got to work disabling the broadcast.

Upon hearing the deep, gravelly baritone of the newcomer, Ace's eyes moved for the first time, slowly and eerily turning her head toward the source of that voice.

Joker just let out a shrill laughter. "Well I'll be, Bats! You never told me you had a watchdog! You should know by now not to keep secrets from me," Joker nudged Batman, who was struggling to get up from the ground.

The Joker looked back at Timber Wolf. "So what are you, a Great Dane? A Siberian husky? Could he be a mixed breed, Batsy? Oh! I got it! You must be a Norwegian elkhound–"

Timber Wolf let out a ferocious roar. Joker cowered, eyes wide, but still had on that sneering clown smile of his.

"I'm a wolf. And the only one who's keeping secrets here is you."

"Oh whatever could you mean, my dear greyhound?"

In his distraction, the Joker didn't see Batman retrieve the halo from his jacket. The round, golden device clanked on the floor as Batman dropped it in his state of weakness. Joker gasped and lunged for the halo, but Timber Wolf swiped it off the ground with a speed that Joker had never seen before. Timber Wolf let the halo dangle on his sharp index finger as he smirked at the Joker, who could only gape back.

"N-no… Grrrr tell me who you are this instant!" Joker shouted, but much to his annoyance, Timber Wolf kept his cool.

"I think you have more important things to ask, like how you're going to face her wrath," Timber Wolf gestured over to Ace, who stared angrily at the Joker.

"You betrayed me," Ace finally spoke. She marched right up to the Joker, who was backing away in terror.

"No my dear, you see, you don't understand," Joker's nervous laughter did nothing to help his pleadings. Ace touched his head, and Joker screamed as she tormented his mind. It looked like his life was being drained from his very eyes.

"…You're not gonna kill him are you?" Timber Wolf asked carefully. Cosmic Boy specifically warned them that Joker couldn't die if they got involved. It would alter too much of world history, and the 31st century era would be unrecognizable, that is, if the Legionnaires would even exist to see it.

"No, that would be too easy," Ace answered unemotionally. "He's gonna suffer for a long time."

Timber Wolf looked at the limp villainous comic, whose expression was frozen in pronounced horror. He then looked back at Ace, who had actually been regarding _him_, with her large black eyes curiously searching Timber Wolf's feral yellow ones, as if reading him. Timber Wolf felt uncomfortable. He hoped Imra's mind shield also prevented thoughts from being read, because there was information that could, under no circumstances, be revealed to the fifteen-year-old Royal Flush Gang member.

Suddenly Timber Wolf saw anger flash across Ace's eyes. Ace whipped her head around so fast that strands of her black hair went around her face. She was looking at Saturn Girl, who appeared behind her with glowing pink eyes, slowly walking toward Ace.

_Don't worry, you can trust us. _

Ace looked angry and skeptical. She had never met anyone who had powers like her, who could communicate through the mind.

_We are from the future. We heard about your story, and we sympathize with you. _

Somehow Ace could tell they were not hostile. She was willing to listen.

_You don't want to hurt all these innocent people. I promise you, the whole world isn't against you. There are people who care. The Joker was only manipulating you. _

Ace glanced at the Joker, and then looked back at Saturn Girl.

_You aren't safe here. Come with us to the future. You'll be away from both governments and criminals trying to use you. _

Ace considered the proposition, and after a moment, looked up at Timber Wolf.

"I get to see what your world is like?" she asked innocently.

Timber Wolf was slightly taken aback by her question, but for some reason, when Ace looked up at him with hopeful eyes like that, the memory of Phantom Girl looking up at him when he was losing control flashed across his mind, when his father tried to control _him_ with a similar headband.

Did Ace really have to die?

Suddenly an idea crept into his head – an idea so life-changing, and so unorthodox, and yet, not entirely radical, as Brainy had done something similar… It was crazy, and yet fully worth a try.

Timber Wolf offered his outstretched hand to Ace. "Yeah," he answered, smiling at her.

Ace smiled back, and took his hand.


	3. Chapter 3

Back in their own time, Ace went to be questioned by Cosmic Boy, Superman, and Saturn Girl while Timber Wolf talked privately with Brainiac-5, Lightning Lad, and Kell-El.

"The plan was for her to pass away peacefully in a chamber that will contain her mind blast," Brainy reminded Timber Wolf. "We're not doing this as a favor for her; we're doing this to protect others _from_ her."

"I just refuse to let someone die from something so easily preventable and treatable in our day," Timber Wolf responded. "An _aneurysm_? That's like someone from Supes' time getting polio. It's unheard of, and just doesn't seem right."

"Why do you care?" Lightning Lad crossed his arms. "At the end of the day she's a criminal and we're not obligated to change her fate."

Timber Wolf sighed and held his forehead. He wasn't entirely sure why he cared. He just _did_.

"Look," he said quietly. "When I look at her, I see a girl that was used and caged all her life. Experimented on, like an _animal_."

His teammates looked at each other.

"What if Ace doesn't have to die?" Timber Wolf expressed his thoughts to them. "What if all she needs is – is a family, friends, a _team_, who understands her, and could guide her?"

"…What exactly are you suggesting, T?" Garth asked.

"Ace could become a Legionnaire."

"We can't trust her," Garth said immediately.

"You didn't trust me at first either, remember? Heck, no one trusted Kell for a while, but now look at us."

"You guys _earned_ our trust, that's the difference," Brainy said. "You can't trust her simply because she reminds you of your own past struggles, Timber Wolf."

Timber Wolf ran a hand through his hair. Maybe it was a stupid idea to bring this up–

"I can heal her aneurysm."

Timber Wolf gave Brainy a shocked and confused look.

Brainy just smirked. "Like I said, I don't trust her, but I do trust you. If you think you see a new recruit in her, we can give it a shot. But keep an eye on her. None of us, under any circumstances, can let our guard down."

…..

Brainiac-5 told Ace he wanted to do a simple brain scan, and she agreed. She lay under the virtual machine, a technology she'd never seen before. The 31st century was a lot to take in, and Ace wished she could read Brainy's mind, but she guessed she couldn't because he was some sort of robot. But then why couldn't she read anyone else's mind at Legion Headquarters? Ace didn't know whether there was some type of barrier to everyone's thoughts, or if minds simply couldn't be read in the 31st century. It made her uneasy, and left her a little disappointed. She really wanted to know what was in _his_ mind.

Timber Wolf. Ace wanted to know more about him, and his past. She somehow felt she could connect with him, but the mind block prevented the sort of prying she usually would have done.

After Brainy finished the "brain scan", Ace left the lab and went to find Timber Wolf. She took her time, admiring the high-tech Legion hallways as she clutched her doll in her arms. She took an elevator to the ground floor and was surprised at how fast it went. She held on to the side wall of the elevator and experienced slight vertigo. When the doors slid open, she stumbled out and ran right into someone.

"Woah, you alright?" came a familiar gravelly baritone.

Ace was surrounded by warmth and strong arms. She looked up to find Timber Wolf holding her and smiling at her.

"…Yeah," Ace answered, her black eyes searching his golden ones. She had never seen a creature like him before.

…But then again, almost everyone here seemed to look oddly non-human. Were they aliens? Or did humans evolve? She hoped Timber Wolf could answer her questions.

"Could you show me around?"

…..

"And here you have the conference room," Timber Wolf said. "We hold Legion meetings here. Any core Legion member can lead a conference here, but it's usually Brainy or Cos. This was where we learned about your story and Joker's plot."

Timber Wolf turned on the large virtual screen to show her how it looked.

"Wow," Ace whispered.

Timber Wolf smiled softly… it oddly reminded him of how Phantom Girl always said that. He suddenly remembered the kiss she gave him before he went back in time. He wondered if he should confront her about it or just pretend it never occurred.

He pushed it to the back of his mind and continued the tour with Ace.

"This is the Legion simulation room," Timber Wolf pointed out. "It's where we train. That's Karate Kid, Triplicate Girl, and Bouncing Boy."

"Why do you guys have names like that? What's your real name? How old are you?" Ace asked.

Timber Wolf chuckled. "I'm seventeen, but for security reasons, we keep our identities classified. You can only know our names if you're a member. I won't ask you your name either," he winked at her.

Ace thought about that as she followed Timber Wolf around Star Pavilion.

"That guy over there is Cosmic Boy. For now, just stay out of his way," Timber Wolf informed Ace as they walked on. They saw two other people up ahead.

"That's Phantom Girl," Timber Wolf smiled. Ace noticed a subtle difference in him. "Heh, some people think you and her kinda look alike. And the guy she's talking to is–"

Ace looked back and forth between Timber Wolf and the two people ahead. "The guy is?"

Timber Wolf growled. "Ultra Boy. Let's keep going."

Ace looked over her shoulder as Timber Wolf guided her to another area. Before they turned the corner, Ace saw Phantom Girl looking at them.

…..

By the end of the tour, Ace was tired. She and Timber Wolf sat in a room with Triplicate Girl and Bouncing Boy as they chatted and had drinks and evening snacks that Timber Wolf baked.

"So I rechecked the history books, and Hawkgirl ended up marrying Green Lantern!" Triplicate Girl stated excitedly, hugging Bouncing Boy and giving him a peck on the cheek.

Timber Wolf was a little jealous of Chuck and Lu's relationship. They were so open and comfortable with each other. Chuck hadn't let his round size stop him from asking out his one true crush, and it worked out well for him, so why was Timber Wolf still so hesitant?

Timber Wolf put his empty cup down and thought about it for a moment when he suddenly felt a slight pressure on his back.

"…Uhm," Timber Wolf looked behind himself and saw that Ace had fallen asleep on his back.

"No no! Let her sleep*," Luornu whispered when she saw Timber Wolf trying to move. "Isn't she so cute with her little doll, pookie bear?"

"Haha, yeah, I guess she is," Chuck replied, giving his girlfriend a kiss and taking another bite of Timber Wolf's cookies.

When they finished eating, it was time to turn in. Timber Wolf carried Ace to a spare Legion room and set her down gently on the bed. He pulled the blankets over her and noted how peaceful she looked. She wasn't scared, or angry at the world; she was simply at peace. He was glad he convinced Brainy to heal her aneurysm and give her a chance at life, just as the Legion had given him a chance.

…..

The next morning Ace joined the Legionnaires for breakfast. Phantom Girl saw Timber Wolf sitting next to Star Boy and carried her plate over to them. She hoped she could talk to Timber Wolf and that he would open up about his feelings. She wondered if he got jealous when he saw her with Jo Nah the other day.

Right when she was about to set her plate down, Ace jumped into the seat next to Timber Wolf. Phantom Girl was so surprised she almost spilled her food.

"So what do you guys do for fun around here?" Ace asked Timber Wolf and Star Boy. "I'd like to ride in one of those flying cars!"

Phantom Girl frowned but held her tongue and sat down on the next seat. She suddenly felt too awkward to really enjoy her breakfast and kinda just moved her fork around in her plate, taking sips of orange juice as she listened to Ace and Timber Wolf talk to each other.

Lightning Lad sat down across from Phantom Girl and Ace. "Aww you two look like sisters!"

"Uugggghhhh!" Phantom Girl groaned and stormed out of the dining hall. She had to get out of there or else she'd pull her hair out.

Timber Wolf saw Phantom Girl leave and followed after her.

Then Ace got up from her seat and followed after him.

Lightning Lad reached over and dug his fork into Phantom Girl's hash brown, and was about to eat it until he saw Saturn Girl and Cosmic Boy glaring at him.

"What?" he shrugged, and popped the hash brown into his mouth.

Meanwhile in the hallway outside the Legion dining hall, Ace hid behind a corner and saw Timber Wolf catch up to Phantom Girl.

"Can you hang on for just a second," Timber Wolf grabbed Phantom Girl's wrist and she whirled around to face him.

"Tell me how you feel about me. Like, right now," Phantom Girl said, looking almost teary-eyed.

Timber Wolf closed his eyes and looked to the side. "Don't start crying Tinya."

He hated seeing her cry.

Ace carefully observed them from her hiding spot. So now she knew Phantom Girl's name. She hoped Tinya would say Timber Wolf's name.

"Hey," Phantom Girl put a hand on his cheek. "Just say it. _Please._"

Timber Wolf at first leaned in to her caress, but then turned away.

Feeling hurt, Phantom Girl turned and walked away. Timber Wolf wanted to follow her, but he let her go. After a moment or two, he looked around curiously and sniffed the air.

"Ace?" he turned around, but she was already gone.

...

*_Let Her Sleep_ is an artwork by Finnish digital artist **straighteye** on deviantART, which shows Timber Wolf with an OC of hers. I received her permission to play out this little scene in the fic with TW and Ace.


	4. Chapter 4

[_Kerli – Walking on Air_]

Phantom Girl trudged down the hallway, tears threatening to spill from her grey eyes, but she stopped midway when she felt a presence behind her.

She looked back, wondering if Timber Wolf had followed her. She was disappointed to find an empty hallway. A part of her wished he _had_ followed her…

Phantom Girl sighed and turned back around, and nearly jumped a foot into the air.

Ace stood before her, still as a statue, wide eyes looking just as livid and angry as she remembered from the video at the meeting. Phantom Girl had to admit that, although a young girl, the Ace of Clubs looked rather intimidating; her demeanor was that of the calm before a storm – it seemed like her wrath would consume everything around her, yet she possessed an eerie tranquility.

Phantom Girl huffed and crossed her arms in front of her, more so to conceal her shakiness than anything. No one had ever snuck up on her before.

"Tinya," Ace greeted curtly.

"Ace," Phantom Girl returned the greeting just as gruffly. "What do you want?"

"Timber Wolf was supposed to play with me today, but you're ruining it," Ace said.

Phantom Girl looked at her incredulously. "What are you talking about?"

While Phantom Girl spoke, Ace was trying very hard to read her mind and search her memories. She forced herself to look harder, to visualize the mysterious barrier blocking her access to the Legionnaire's psyche. Ace inconspicuously propelled a mind wave, and faintly saw the pink shield it bounced off of. She propelled a stronger one, and saw the shield crack.

"…and who plays with stuffed toys anyway," Ace heard Phantom Girl say.

"You do," Ace said, and before Phantom Girl could say anything else, she felt herself falling into darkness. When she opened her eyes, she found herself in a boxing ring with red boxing gloves. She looked up and saw a giant rabbit preparing to fight her.

"Ugh, not again!" Phantom Girl groaned.

Ace stood over Phantom Girl's body, which was sprawled out on the floor. Ace got what she needed: Timber Wolf's real name. But she also stumbled upon memories that she wish she hadn't seen. A timeline of images flashed across Ace's mind, of Timber Wolf and Phantom Girl working together, laughing together, fighting for each other, and eventually falling in love with each other.

Ace stepped over Tinya's unconscious body and walked away.

…..

Timber Wolf rested on a reclining hover-chair in one of the Legion parlors, staring up at the ceiling. He figured it may be about time to go check up on Phantom Girl. He was still learning about how women operated, but he thought it was best to give her a little space first to cool off before they talked.

So he was a little surprised when a smiling Phantom Girl skipped into the lounge and sat next to him, making the hover-chair bounce slightly before steadying again.

"Brin," she grinned, and wrapped her arms around his neck.

Timber Wolf raised an eyebrow. "Tinya, you're smiling?"

"Mhmm!" Phantom Girl nodded and rested her head on his shoulder.

"So, you're not still upset about earlier?" Timber Wolf asked cautiously. But to his surprise, Phantom Girl just shook her head no and hooked her arm around his.

"Let's go out and play," she said.

Timber Wolf narrowed his eyes. Phantom Girl was not one to simply "let things go". Why was she acting so strange?

Like the Joker, Timber Wolf had his own trump card, one that never failed him: his keen sense of smell. Even the most masterful shape-changers, the Durlans, couldn't get past his nose. Frightening realization dawned on him that he was being tricked. He stood up and looked at the imposter.

"Ace? Why are you impersonating Phantom Girl?"

After the initial moment of surprise (and realizing there was no point in denying it), Ace shrugged, feeling surprisingly sheepish, and dug her shoe into the carpet. "You like her… I thought if I looked like Tinya you'd play with me."

With her cover blown, the Royal Flush Gang member saw no other reason to keep her disguise. She allowed Timber Wolf's mind to see her normal form.

"What goes on between me and her is our own business; you have no right to interfere. Your actions were based on deceit, and to me that's unforgiveable. You know, I vouched for you, when the other Legionnaires didn't want to give you a chance… maybe I should've listened to them." With those last words, Timber Wolf turned away from Ace.

Seeing his rejection gave Ace an odd mix of emotions she'd never felt before.

All her life, Ace had never felt an iota of guilt for altering someone's perception. She never considered it a violation of their personal thoughts or desires. If anything, Ace justified her mental intrusions by the fact that no one had ever helped her when she was locked away in the governmental facility. But for some reason, it was different with Timber Wolf… with Brin Londo. It was a strange sensation, this thing called regret… like something was gnawing at her chest and wouldn't stop until she made things right, but she had no idea how to do that. Ace didn't want Timber Wolf to be angry with her, but he was.

So the only other emotion she knew how to feel, that she knew how to act on, was anger.

Ace stood up and walked out of the lounge area, black eyes wide with her signature silent fury. She had had enough of the Legion of Superheroes. Like the Justice League, they were no fun.

As Timber Wolf watched Ace leave, an important question surfaced in his mind.

How did Ace find out their names?

…..

"Phantom Girl?!" Saturn Girl ran to her teammate, who was lying in the middle of the Legion hallway. She immediately pulled her out of Ace's mind trap and Phantom Girl woke up but was weak.

Cosmic Boy, Superman X, and a few other Legionnaires ran to the scene.

"It was Ace," Imra informed them.

"Dammit!" Cosmic Boy cursed. "I knew she couldn't be trusted. I'm sending out an alert to all Legion members. The Ace of Clubs has returned to criminal status and is now considered hostile."

"I'll handle this," Imra went off to find Ace. It was her mind shield that Ace had penetrated after all. Could they have underestimated the 21st century telepath?

Saturn Girl found Ace in the room with the time warp machine.

"Ace!" Saturn Girl called out, but then almost immediately she was on her knees, clutching her head, struggling to gain control over her mind. Ace's eyes were ablaze as she slowly walked toward Saturn Girl, whose eyes were a ferocious pink in an attempt to overpower Ace's insurmountable mind-bending abilities. However, Ace sent a mind wave her way and cracked through Saturn Girl's own shield, causing the Legionnaire to faint.

Ace smiled wickedly and went through the time machine.

After a few moments, Timber Wolf, Phantom Girl, Lightning Lad, Brainiac-5, and all the main Legion members came rushing in as Saturn Girl woke up.

"She's more powerful than I thought, I'm sorry," Imra apologized as Garth helped her up.

"It's not your fault Saturn Girl," said Brainy. "I was just reading her brain scans in my lab and discovered two very alarming facts. Her powers have suddenly increased exponentially, which was why she's been able to break through your mental shields."

"And the second thing?" Timber Wolf asked the android.

"Although we healed her aneurysm, two more developed in its place. We don't have much time before it kills her. We have to get her back to our time or else this whole mission will have been in vain."

"But I couldn't stop her from going through the portal," Imra said. "She could be anywhere in time since I'm sure she didn't know how to set the time warp."

Kell-El went to the time machine and inspected it, as he had more knowledge of these things being from the 41st century.

"She went back to May 2nd of the same year we found her in. Whenever the time machine is turned on, its default setting is a few weeks after the last day you programmed into it."

"Saturn Girl, what information did she take from you?" demanded Cosmic Boy.

"She just got that she'd develop her own Royal Flush Gang."

If Brainiac-5 didn't have a robotic exterior, he would have gone pale. The grim revelation sank heavily into his heart that the Ace of Spades hadn't mysteriously "disappeared" for weeks before reforming her gang, as history documented. She had actually been in the future, with the Legion of Superheroes, where she learned about her relatively future criminal actions, and imprecisely returned to her era to fulfill her destiny.

"Looks like it was impossible to change her fate," Timber Wolf concluded.

The Legion decided to follow Ace and find some way to put an end to all of this.

…..

The Legionnaires landed in a 21st century that was very different from what they had first encountered. The city streets now looked like a twisted fantasy maze world, and the buildings were heavily encroached by thick vines lined with deadly thorns.

Ace could now fully create her own reality.

Her new Royal Flush Gang was causing havoc in the city streets. The Legionnaires fought side by side with the Justice League to defeat the new threats, and then Amanda Waller flew in in her private helicopter carrying a suitcase. She informed them all of Ace's imminent death and the lethal mind blast that would ensue, which the Legion already knew about.

"There's no point in trying to hide that we are superheroes from the 31st century," Brainy said to the Justice League and Mrs. Waller. "We are involved with Ace's recent actions, and will do our part in putting a stop to this."

Amanda Waller looked from one Legionnaire to another, taking in their novel, almost alien-like appearances. "My word, superheroes from the future?" Waller's eyes landed on Timber Wolf and Kell-El and smirked at them. "So, even in the 31st century, superheroes are still so handsome."

"Uhm, I'm actually from the 41st century," Kell corrected her, not that he really cared about the large woman flirting with him; he just wanted to point that out.

Waller looked from Superman X, to the Legionnaire Superman, and finally to the Justice League Superman.

"A Superman throughout the ages…" Amanda Waller whispered in astonishment. She then looked at the Batman, and an idea started brewing in her mind, but there were more important matters to address at the moment.

She revealed the box-shaped device that was intended to kill the Ace of Clubs.

"I'll do it," Timber Wolf volunteered. "I'm the only one Ace trusts."

Everyone watched as the feral Legionnaire walked toward Ace's wall of thorns, which opened up for him.

Phantom Girl watched as the wall of thorns closed behind him, and she ran toward it, worrying that she may never see him again. But when she touched the wall of thorns, she realized that even she couldn't phase through it. Ace's fantasy world was totally impenetrable, and only Timber Wolf was allowed entry.

[_Sam Smith – Stay With Me_]

Timber Wolf slowly walked through the gates of Ace's make-believe world. He couldn't believe the damage she had done, but in a way, he understood her anger and frustration at the world, even though he didn't agree with it. He eventually found the fifteen-year-old telepath on a swing set.

"Brin," she greeted, but the way she said it left Timber Wolf not knowing if she was pleased to see him or not. So he returned her greeting just as offhandedly.

"Ace."

"Did you like playing with my new Royal Flush Gang?" Ace asked as she started swinging.

Timber Wolf casually looked off to the side. "Can't say I enjoyed 'em."

"Yeah, they're no fun. I gave them their powers and they _still_ won't play with me."

Ace then told Timber Wolf about her time as a prisoner in the government's clandestine research facility, where they forced her to do various mind exercises to experiment on her powers.

"They would say, 'Ace can you move this with your mind?'" she spat out as if the memory itself were vile. Timber Wolf saw a tree uproot from the ground and fly up into the air. He looked back at Ace, who continued, "Yeah, I can move it."

Anger seeped through the girl's eyes as she recalled her days locked up as a lab experiment. Timber Wolf saw something familiar beyond her anger and resentment of a childhood stripped of its innocence.

"They said it was all for justice, but they were creating a weapon," Ace whispered, staring off into space. "Well, they got their weapon..."

Every word Ace said was like a stab at Timber Wolf's heart. He didn't know which was worse; spending your whole life as an experiment, or being experimented on by someone you trusted your whole life. Although his experience was shorter, it was more traumatizing, but Ace's continual exposure to labs and facilities rather than parks and schools, all to prepare her as a weapon of war, left the girl cold, bitter, and vengeful. She was deprived of normal childhood social and psychological development, the part where you're supposed to learn to be friendly with other kids, that sharing was above selfishness, and that there were differences between right and wrong. There was nothing in Ace's upbringing that balanced out the natural desire for self-gratification and egotism, and that left a complete and total disregard for human life.

His life could have just as easily gone down that path.

"I know how you feel," Timber Wolf finally said.

Ace looked up from the ground and smiled softly. "You do, don't you… I was finally able to read your mind… that's how I knew you weren't going to use Mrs. Waller's device."

Timber Wolf had tossed that thing to the wayside the moment the gate of thorns closed behind him.

Ace looked away as her smile faded. "I'm dying very soon, aren't I?"

"...I'm sorry," was all he could utter. Ace shrugged like she didn't care, but after a moment, tears welled up in her eyes.

"Will you stay with me? I'm scared."

Timber Wolf slowly closed his eyes as his heart sank in sorrow at those words. He really wished they could have saved her. It was so painful to see her like this. Her face was nearly the spitting image of Phantom Girl's when she cried.

Timber Wolf sat down on the swing beside her. He was never really good at "comforting" people, but as he took Ace's hand in his, he decided that he'd try.

They sat for a moment in silence when Ace turned to him.

"Kiss me," she said softly.

Timber Wolf sighed. "You know I won't do that."

Timber Wolf didn't believe in the notion of granting dying wishes. Were people really any more special in their last moments than they were all the other moments of their life? How he saw it, death was but one of the many stages they had to pass through.

Ace smiled at his thoughts. Timber Wolf was right; he wasn't obligated to do anything for her. She was disappointed she couldn't experience his tenderness, but she respected his sentiments, if anything all the more because of it. Ace didn't deserve his company, and yet here he was, sitting with her to help her through the dying process.

He had done more for her in her death than anyone had in her life. And for that, she was thankful.

"You love her, don't you?"

"…Yeah."

"Then be happy with her. She loves you too."

Timber Wolf looked at Ace, who gave him a soft, yet sad smile.

In the end, Ace agreed to vanquish her fantasy world and return the city to normal. There was also one more thing he had asked her before she passed.

The Legionnaires and the Justice League were waiting for them when Timber Wolf walked out with Ace in his arms. Timber Wolf gently placed Ace on the stretcher to be carried away in Waller's helicopter.

As Timber Wolf watched them fly away, he felt a soft hand wrap around his own.

"She'll be buried in her hometown," Phantom Girl quietly informed him before giving him a hug.

Tinya was initially surprised when Timber Wolf held her shoulders and kissed her, but she soon leaned in to his tender touch. Timber Wolf looked deep into her eyes, and told her the very words that she had been waiting to hear, the words he knew he should have told her a long time ago.

But there was no point in regretting. Life was fleeting, but he didn't have to keep himself from enjoying every moment of it with the person he loved from here on out.

Ace taught him that.

_'__Thank you, Tina Weizmann,' _Timber Wolf thought as they traveled back to their time.


End file.
